What better way to learn piano than by playing the songs you love most? Songs to Play on Piano is an exciting part of the Playground Sessions blog that helps you do just that!
Playground Sessions’ instructors update Songs to Play on Piano with detailed instruction around notable songs found in our song shop. Each post is a song from our song shop, handpicked by our instructors to help you learn piano faster. Expect plenty of detailed piano tips, techniques and lessons, along with some occasional music theory pointers. Keep checking back to learn more new songs on piano!
I love when hip hop music is melodic and musical. Often, even if the song is great on its own, a rap song will not have many chords or interesting melodies, so it can be difficult to play a good arrangement on the piano. But this Kanye song, “Love Lockdown” is almost more of an …
How to play “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West on piano Read More »
Miley’s got a new one, and it sounds much different than her last few! If you ask me that’s a good thing, because this song is fun and melodic. Perfect for an accessible intermediate level arrangement. But it’s not all easy.. The chorus picks things up quite a bit, and that’s why I chose to teach …
There’s something about a ballad with a beat, am I right? Think about “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars, or “I’ll Show You” by Justin Bieber… Something about the slow tempo but fast hi hats, and the very melodic vocals over a beat that is usually reserved for more of a hip hop delivery. I …
How to play “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” by Zayn & Taylor Swift on piano Read More »
When I first heard “Sign of the Times” I had no idea it was written and performed by a former member of One Direction. It sounded more like Elton John, David Bowie, and Pink Floyd got together and inspired a brand new artist… I loved it! And when I found out it was Harry Styles, …
How to play “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles on piano Read More »
This tune is very pretty… plain and simple. It’s got a fun ’80s beat and a classic chord progression. I first became aware of this song through a cover version performed by a group called Thirdstory, and that blew me away! Taylor Swift always performs well on YouTube, but of her songs this might be …
As a fan of pop music, I have a total blast whenever I play “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic on piano. What a fun, catchy tune! I was humming this one for hours after I recorded the YouTube lesson. I chose to do this one for a few reasons: 1. Left hand arpeggio pattern Here, in …
How to play “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic on piano Read More »
In the classic movie, The Breakfast Club, as well as many parodies that followed, “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds was absolutely iconic. But strictly musically speaking, there isn’t too much to it! There is, however, a few cool things that make this song stand out, and they’re also why I chose to …
How to play “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds on piano Read More »
My students who are fans of EDM have asked me time and time again to teach them how to play “Faded” by Alan Walker on piano. I wasn’t familiar with Alan Walker when I first heard this song, but what captured me was how melodic and pianistic it sounded, despite its ‘dance club’ nature. And …
“Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey is an incredibly catchy song! When this dropped, you couldn’t go 15 minutes in your every-day life without hearing this… And it was so popular on YouTube, I just had to teach it! But I didn’t just arrange and teach it because of its popularity; there are specific musical …
How to play “Closer” by The Chainsmokers & Halsey on piano Read More »
If you dig folk music, you’ll want to learn how to play “Ophelia” by The Lumineers on piano. Folk music is really fun to play on the piano. With the emergence of bands like The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and more like them, folk and folk rock was put into the pop main stream for …
